SH16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku

Our vision is an Aotearoa where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads. Safety improvements in infrastructure will save lives and reduce the number of people seriously injured on Aotearoa New Zealand’s roads and streets. Our work in infrastructure improvements is underpinned by the internationally proven Safe System approach, which acknowledges that as humans, we all make mistakes – but these mistakes do not need to cost us our lives.

Between 2010 and mid 2022, 3 people were killed, 31 people were seriously injured and several have sustained minor injuries whilst travelling along State Highway 16 within the project area. Almost a third of these crashes between 2020 to present, were caused by drivers losing control and running off the road or crossing the centreline and hitting an oncoming vehicle. This makes it a high risk road that would benefit from safety improvements.

This road is an important link for the local community, as well as providing resilience within the wider Upper North Island state highway network. Over 36,000 vehicles a day use the route between Brigham Creek and Kumeū, and over 15,000 vehicles are travelling between Huapai and Waimauku each day. Residential and business growth has increased and will continue to do so as the North West develops. This increases vehicle numbers and puts pressure on our network.

The project has been split into two stages. Stage one runs from Huapai to Waimauku and Stage two is between the Brigham Creek roundabout and Kumeū. We started construction on the section between Huapai and Waimauku where there are slightly less complexities and where half of the crashes were head-on. Work will progress on this section while we continue to confirm aspects of the scoping, funding and design for Stage two.

The focus of this project is to improve safety in the area which will improve the wider transport network’s efficiency. Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency are investigating plans for the longer-term to address future growth, including in Auckland’s North West.

More about these long term plans(external link)

To make SH16 safer, we’re looking at making a number of improvements:

Stage one: Huapai to Waimauku
Stage one: Huapai to Waimauku
- Installing road safety barriers in the middle of the road and roadside to prevent drivers from leaving their lane, hitting something harder like other oncoming vehicles, trees, poles or ditches .
- Installing four turnaround bays to enable safe turning movements along the corridor.
- Widening bridges that are too narrow.
- Creating a wider road shoulder so there’s more space for people who cycle.
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Stage two: Brigham Creek to Kumeū
Stage two: Brigham Creek to Kumeū
- Between Brigham Creek and Kumeū we are creating a dedicated shared path for people who walk and cycle to provide genuine travel choice.
- Installing road safety barriers in the middle of the road and roadside, to prevent drivers from leaving their lane before hitting something harder like other vehicles, trees, poles or ditches , except between Taupaki and Kumeū.
- Adding extra lanes between Brigham Creek and Taupaki roundabout from two lanes to four (two in each direction) to make travelling along SH16 more efficient in the short-term.
- Installing a flush median between Taupaki and Kumeū, which is a painted area in the middle of the road to give you more room and a safe place to wait before turning, while traffic can continue to flow.
- Putting in a roundabout at the SH16/Coatesville Riverhead Highway intersection to help traffic flow better and make it safer to turn.
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Project timeframes

Stage one: Huapai to Waimauku

Stage one: Huapai to Waimauku
The design for Stage one (Huapai to Waimauku) was completed in 2019. Following our submission for Notice of Requirement, there was an appeal to the Environment Court. The Environment Court hearing was held in August 2021, and in early November 2022 a decision was released. The decision was ruled in our favour. The construction contract was then awarded to Fulton Hogan in mid 2023 and work commenced in September 2023.
Updated timeframes are shown below.
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Stage two: Brigham Creek to Kumeū

Stage two: Brigham Creek to Kumeū
Waka Kotahi is temporarily pausing Stage 2 of the Brigham Creek to Waimauku project for a 12-month period from August 2023 in response to a significant increase in forecasted costs.
Material supply issues, labour shortages and rising inflation are contributing to increased project cost estimates, and further work over the following months is necessary prior to being able to confirm decisions about funding and scope.
As a result, Auckland Council has accepted our request to extend the timeframe for the Notice of Requirement application for a 12-month period. We have also suspended all Public Works Act land acquisitions for the same period.
Waka Kotahi remains committed to making our roads as safe as possible. Construction of Stage 1 work will continue as planned to improve safety for road users on the stretch of State Highway 16 between Huapai and Waimauku.
Waka Kotahi will be in a position to provide further updates once we have worked through the necessary steps.
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